Self-starting internal-combustion engine.



J. A; HEANY.

SELF STARTING INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE,

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, um.

Patented June 1, 1915.

SHEETSSHEET I.

J, A. HEANY.

sm smmwa INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, I912. 1 1%1 632 PatentedJune L 1915 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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JOHN ALLEN HEANY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OI CGLUMBEA.

.sELF-5TARTING INTERNALQDMBUSTION ENGINE.

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To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN ALLEN HEANY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Washington, in the District of Columbia,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Starting Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a full and clear specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which 4 Figure 1 is a side elevation broken away; and Fig. 2 is a vertical section. f The object of this invention is to so conps'tructthe starting mechanism that it shall bebuilt into-the engine proper, thereby doing. away with theunsightliness, unreliability, lack of durability, and-liability to derangement which are neces' .ly incident to those starting mechan as which are mere attachments to an engine.

I have illustrated my invention as applied to a well known typeof engine (a four cycle twin-cylinder enginejl -but it will be understood that the invention is applicable, with modifications as to details, to other types of engines.

This invention has special relation to the type of self-starting engine covered by my copending application, Serial No. 688,634.

In the dr'ewings, a designates the usual Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed April 29, 1912. Serial No. 693,888.

Patented June ll, third.-

endwise movement, and this movement is imparted to the shaft through a rock shaft 79, a gear r .on the same and a cylindrical rack r on the cam shaft. The rock shaft p' is provided with an arm 25 which is connected by a rod 11. to a pivoted lever c, which lever is adapted to be operated by a push rod w. Preferably, the lever t with its connected parts is normally pulled to the right by a spring With this construction the operator may by simply pressing his foot on the pushrod to throw the cam shaft into active posit on, that is, into the position shown in Fig. l, in which position the cams Z will be in position to lift the valve-stems.

In the engine shown in my drawings, there are four cylinder. and the pistons adapted to work in pairs, as usual in this of engine. lVith this type ,of engine the four cams will be so arranged on their shaft that the valves connected with one pair of the cylinders will be opened while the two valves for the other pair will be permitted to remain closed.

Above the valves it the four aive chambers are connected together by a pipe y,

prolongation of the pipe y to an air storage Working pistons, b the w rking cylinders, o v tank a. In the valve casing a is a rotatable the pitmen connecting the pistons to the main crank-shaft d, all constructed in substantially the} usual manner. Each piston is extended toward the crankshaft and provided witha supplemental pistone larger in diameter than the main piston and working in a supplemental cylinder 7 formed as a continuation of the main cylinder.

Entering each supplemental cylinder f at its upper end is a port 9 and controlling this port is a valve 72. which opens outwardly with respect to the cylinder and is normally held closed to form a check valve by means of a suitable spring a. The stem of this valve depends into the crank case and is pro vided with a head j which slidesin a guide way in the upper part of the crank casing. The lower end of this head 4' depends into the crank casing far enough to'come into the path of a cam Z afiixed-to; a cam-shaft m which is rotated by gears noperated from the main crank shaft; There is one of these cams Z for each valve, and adjacent to each cam Z is an annular part 0. This cam shaft is mounted so as to be capable of a limited valve plug 6 which is provided with a single transverse port. This valve plug Z) is attached to'and forms the pivotal support of. the aforesaid lever 'L, and the port in this plug is so placed that when the push rod to is pressed down to bring the cams into active position, said port will connect the two branches of the pipe 1 It will be observer. that when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. l the conipressed air inthe tank will be permitted to enter the two supplemental cylinders whose valves it are for the time being held open by the cams Z, the cams being so arranged that the valves will be held open while the supplemental pistons are at the upper ends of their stroke or are moving downvmrdly. This air under pressure will force the supplemental pistons downwardly and thus start the engine. W hen these two supplemental pistons rcach the lower extremity of their stroke their cylinders will exhaust through the exhaust port 0'', shown in Fig. 2, and approximately simultaneously therewith the cams will open the elher pair of the supplemental cylinders and the amount valves 'h and'thus permit the compressed air to enter the other pair or sup: plemental cylinders, whose pistons are then'at the upper extremity of their stroke.

being now this way the engine may be readily started whenever there is suflicientair in the tank.

After the engine is running on its own power, the operator releases the push rod w whereupon the spring port causes the valve plug 6' to close and the cam shaft to shift to the right far enough to take the cams Z out i the way of the valve stems. The sgpple'mental pistons and cylinders will then immediately commence to operate as pumps, taking the air in through the exhaust port a and forcing it past the valves it (these valves free to act simply as check valves) and on into the tank a, a by-pass (1 around the valve 6 pass being provided with a checkvalve e opening toward the tank. The pumping operation ceases as soon as the pressure in the tank is brought up to the degree determined upon in building the engine, this degree of pressure being dependent on the capacity of at the upper of clearance f arranged for as the mainends of the cylinders. As soon mum pressure is obtained and the pumping into the tank stops, then the air entrapped in-each one ofthe supplemental cylinders at every stroke will be alternately compressed to tank pressure and then expanded to atmospheric pressure, thus providing for an ideal cushioning effect in each supplemental 4 cylinder.

- It will be observed that with this type of engine it is possible to do away entirely with the valve 6 and the by-pass at so that the taiik'willhave an unobstructed passage at all times to the spaces above the check valves '71,. In this case the operator in shitting the cam shaft to operative position would he compelled to open two of the valves it against tank pressure, whereas in an apparaand the bypass 05 are employed the parts may be so proportioned that the operation ofopening the valves h in startin the engine will be accomplished loefore the port in plug Z2 opens, thus rendering it easier to open these valves h. I I

Having thus described m'y'invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with a multiple cylin der explosive engine having enlarged supplemental pistons and cylinders, a port entering the upper end 0% each of the supplemental cylindeis, valves controlling these ports and means operated from the engine plosive engine,

being provided, this by i 1 position,

Ll iLBSQ shaft for opening these valves, means for rendering the valve operating means inoperativeduring the pumpin action and. while the engine is runnlng under its own power,

site the aforesaid inlet port. I I V a multiple 1 3K:-

- 2. In combination with having enlarged suppie mental pistons and cylinders, mental cylinder being provided with inletand exhaust ports, an air reservoir and con duits connecting it to the inlets, valves for these inlets opening toward the air reservoir and means operated from the engine for opening said valves, a valve in the conduit connecting the reservoir to the aforesaid inlets, and means for simultaneously opening said valve and. shifting the inlet valve re each supple; V

actuating mechanism into operative pcsi tion. I

3. In combination with a multiple-opinider explosive engine, 'plemental pistons'and cylinders, each sup plemental cylinder being provided with inlet and exhaust ports, an air' reservoir and] conduits connecting it to the inlets, valves forisaid inlets, and means operated from the engine for opening said valves, a valve the conduit connecting the reservoir to'the' aforesaid inlets, and means for simuitane ously opening said valve and shifting the inhaving enlarged gape let valve-actuating mechanism into operative said inlet valves adapted to act as check valves when the valve-aotuatir 1echanisin 15 in inoperative position to pe mit the supplemental pistons to pump air into the reservoir.

4. In combination with a multiple-cyiinder explosive engine, having air-compressing means associated with each cylinder, each air-compressing means being provided with inlet and exhaust ports, an air reservoir and conduits connecting it to the in lets, valves for said inlets, and means ated from the engine for opening valves, a valve in the conduit connecting reservoir to the aforesaid inlets, and

for simultaneously opening said vaive and C shifting the inlet valve mechanism into operative position, said inlet valves adapted to act as check valves when the valve-actuating mechanism is in inoperative position to per mit the air-compressing means to pump ai into the reservoir.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affiX my signature in the Essence of two witnesses. J HN ALLEN HEANY, Witnesses:

CHARLES D. DAVIS, FRED. B. McLAnnN.

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